Fennel Soup
A velvety, protein-rich soup made with fresh fennel, white beans, and herbs. Smooth, comforting, and ready in about 45 minutes—perfect for a cozy meal. Yield is 8 cups, 2 quarts.
Servings: 6 12-ounce servings
Calories: 332kcal
Equipment
- Dutch oven 5 ½ quarts
- Food Processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 ¼ cups chopped white onion or sweet onion 1 small
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 ¼ pounds fennel bulbs 2-3, bulb only, trimmed of tops
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried tarragon dried thyme, or both.
- ½ cup heavy cream canned coconut milk for dairy-free
- 30 ounces canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper or black
Optional garnishes
- fennel fronds
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh chopped chives or parsley
- finely grated parmesan cheese
- crisply cooked and crumbled bacon
Instructions
Vegetable prep
- Roughly chop the fennel and onion, then pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, chop them finely by hand. Finely chop the garlic.
Sweat the vegetables
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot (5½ quarts) over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and onion, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook gently until soft and translucent, about 10–12 minutes. You’re sweating the vegetables, not browning them. Keep them pale—no color. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the herbs and half of the salt.
Simmer the soup
- Add the beans and the broth and bring to a simmer, allow flavors to blend and heat soup to heat through, 5 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender in 2 batches, adding the cream at the end. Taste and season with the rest of the salt and white or black pepper if desired. Serve with a drizzle of extra olive oil and any other garnishes you prefer.
Notes
Substitutions:
If you can't get cannellini beans, use navy beans, small white beans, or great northern beans, they all work great.
Storing and freezing:
Soup keeps in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container, be sure to label and date. Soup freezes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave until hot.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 1259mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 6mg